What an Alec Burleson Extension Could Look Like for Cardinals

The Cardinals should make sure to keep Burleson around long term.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (41) circles the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Milwaukee Brewers Friday, September 25, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the St. Louis Cardinals quickly hung up the phone when they were approached about trades for Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson. It's the right call for sure, as both players are going to be key pieces of the puzzle for the future and are part of what the Cardinals are trying to build. The next great team in St. Louis will almost certainly include both of them.

But as the Cardinals look to the future, the best course of action with Burleson would be a contract extension. The only question is what an extension might look like.

The reference point

Oct 28, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers (9) looks on before game five of the 2026 World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

To get an idea for what one might look like, we must take a look at what happened on Friday. Jake Bauers, who was the NLCS MVP and played a key role in the Milwaukee Brewers winning the World Series, signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox. The deal is for four years and $58 million.

Burleson is under contract through the 2028 season, so if the Cardinals want to extend him, now might be a good time to give him one. He is only 27 years old right now, and unless the Cardinals wait a long time, they shouldn't have to break the bank to make this happen.

Something similar to what Bauers got from the Red Sox is likely what Cardinals fans can expect in terms of signing Burleson to an extension. If they do it now, they can get him at a good price and lock up one of the key pillars of this rebuild.

Burleson led all of Major League Baseball with 116 RBI during the regular season and hit .279/.343/.473 with 26 home runs, a 3.7 WAR and an .816 OPS. He essentially has the first base job down cold with St. Louis, and he is their best option, so locking him up long-term would be the right call.

And if the Cardinals act fast, that should officially shut down any chance of a trade for the foreseeable future, and it could also keep the Cardinals from having to pay extra money to get it done.

At a certain point, the Cardinals need to start locking up their core for the future. These players are who they are going to build around, and Burleson needs to be a part of the next great Cardinals team.

But something similar to what Bauers just got is a reasonable expectation for what Burleson could get.